HWW from Bryntail Lead Mines

Sitting in the shadow of the dam at the southern end of Llyn Clywedog Reservoir, Bryntail’s buildings illuminate a time when this tranquil spot was a bustling site of industry. During the 19th century this was a noisy, smoky place as lead was extracted and processed, before being transported to nearby Llanidloes and shipped down the River Severn.

Bryntail closed in 1884 as the local mining boom came to an end. The remains that still stand include crushing houses, ore bins, roasting ovens, smithy and the mine manager's office.

The mine produced lead ore and barytes. The barytes mill includes massive Yorkshire stone slab tanks. I assume that this photo is part of a tank made of Yorkshire stone. Visible workings are largely of nineteenth century date and include three main shafts and a deep adit, well-preserved remains of an earthwork incline, tramway track beds, a leat which once carried water drawn from the Clywedog further upstream, substantial remains of buildings including structures which housed pumping and winding machinery.

Other surviving features include the mine office, smithy and store building, a circular explosives magazine, together with wheelpits for winding and crushing machinery, ore bins, roasting ovens and precipitation tanks, jigger placements, a washing and picking floor area, buddles, slime pits. A wheelpit close to the river is 60 feet (18.23 metres) deep.